Christmas sets off a unique season. A season of sobriety. A season of reflection. A season reminding man of his smallness. Yet a time of dancing and rejoicing, of singing in gratitude streaming, we are told, through all spheres of Creation. In the highest realm of Creation, angels sing. Since more than 2,000 years ago, the atmosphere has always been arresting in its special nature. The waves are sweeping through all lands.
Laden in them are tidings of the Baby Lord born in a manger, born in the stable in Bethlehem. It was Holy Night! A stupendous happening unmatched in all history before then. Carols rent the air everywhere in commemoration of the great Day—in hotels, at club houses, at street corners and in department stores. There are on display, bunting, beaming glitters of Christmas trees publicly and blinking lights in assorted colours hanging in gardens, homes and on all possible manner of things.
Joseph and Mary had journeyed to Bethlehem for census. It was census that was all encompassing. It was to make for an accurate survey and assessment of landed properties, as well as for ascertaining and confirmation of their owners for payment of tribute to the Roman authorities. Joshua, upon the Jews returning from the Egyptian yoke to the Promised Land, had divided the country among different peoples that made up Israel in compliance with spiritual guidance said to have been received.
The Scriptures tell us: “And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give less inheritance: every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth: according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.” (Numbers 33: 54). Joshua succeeded legendary Moses. Each tribe and family had inalienable claim in perpetuity to the properties so allotted. It is said that even where the land was sold, the sale lapsed after 50 years and it returned to the original owner.
It was such that even when the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity, those who were natives of Bethlehem Netophah reclaimed their land. They did not necessarily have to live in their towns a practice that endures among all races with human spirits seek greener pastures for their material wellbeing. At time also some lived in surrounding villages and towns in search of work, but kept themselves up-to-date. Since Bethlehem was the city of the family of David (1 Samuel 16: 1) many others settled there as their ancestral city, but such was the strong family tree that no one would surrender the link for anything as the link also served the purpose of personal identification.
Authorities were, therefore, able to confirm claims. But then the joint ownership of families necessitated the Romans demanding personal appearance of each person for verification in communities to which he laid claim as owner or a joint proprietor for census and taxation. Because Joseph had to prove that he had a share in the ancestral possession of David family, he and His wife had to journey to Bethlehem for the census. “And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David.
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.” (Luke 2: 1—5). Therefore, in the course of the registration of Judea ordered by the imperial edict, Joseph had to go to Bethlehem “because he was of the house and lineage of David.”
Little did the Roman authorities know that the structures were leading to the eventual fulfilment of the prophesy: “But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel.” (Micah 5: 5:2).
According to Ernest Schmitt, a French writer distinguished for a special knowledge of the revelations of these times: “Now the special property situations in Israel, as well as Herod’s disgrace and the Roman census necessary on that account, caused Joseph and Mary to journey to Bethlehem. Thus, was fulfilled the prophesy that Jesus would be born in the City of David, in Bethlehem.” He adds: “What general in those days would have conceded the least prospect of success to the unknown carpenter’s son in the distant, half-wild province? No statesman would have thought it possible for the teachings given within a narrow area to outlive the proud and powerful Roman empire.
In his Work, In the Light of Truth, The Grail Message, Abd-ru-shin says of the birth of the Lord in the Lecture, Christmas:
“Holy Night! Exultant singing in jubilant gratitude once streamed through all the spheres of Creation when the Son of God Jesus was born in the stable in Bethlehem! And shepherds in the fields, from whose spiritual eyes the bandage was removed during the joyous upheaval of the Universe, so that they could bear witness to this immense happening and thus call people’s attention to it, fell upon their knees apprehensively because they were overwhelmed by what was new and incomprehensible to them.
“It was fear on the part of the shepherds, who were temporarily made clairvoyant and also clairaudient. Fear of the greatness of the happening, of the Omnipotence of God thus made manifest! For this reason the herald from the Luminous Heights speaks to them reassuringly: Be not afraid! Whenever a herald from Luminous heights speaks to human beings you will ever again find these words, for it is fear that earthmen always perceive first when seeing and hearing heralds from on high. This is called forth by the pressure of the power, to which they are also opened a little in such moments. But only to the smallest part, for anything more would surely smother and burn them.
“And yet it should be joy, not fear, as soon as the spirit of man strives for the Luminous heights!
“This did not become manifest to all mankind during the Holy Night! The Star became physically visible, but nobody on earth saw this luminous herald and the luminous hosts surrounding him. None saw and heard this but the few shepherds chosen for the purpose, who through their simplicity and close connection with Nature could be the most easily opened to receive it.
“And such great revelations on earth can never take place other than through a few chosen for the purpose! Remember this always! For the lawfulness in Creation cannot be annulled on your account! Therefore, do not build up any fanciful pictures about various happenings, which can never be as you imagine them to be…”
Among the few were the Three Wise Men from the East. They were astronomers. They had busied themselves reading the elements and the stars and calculating the time of the arrival of the prophesied King and Messiah. As man is wont to do, elsewhere with particular reference to the Romans, they had gone wild beating about the bush in their imaginings and expectations. The coming of the Messiah, they reckoned, would be from their ranks, after all Rome was the capital of the world for 700 years. It was such that, according to reports, the coming together of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of Pisces awaited at the time was being studied by astrologers with untrammelled interest, and interpreted. In Rome it was being associated with the Emperor, Augustus, in the saddle at the time; the signs of the Cosmos were regarded as confirmation and endorsement from On High of the emperor’s extra-ordinarily brilliant career.
And the Three Wise Men stepped out in activity, and to fulfil their sacred Calling for which they were on earth to be permitted to be part of the Mission of the Lord. And they thus spoke: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and are come to worship him.” (Matthew 2: 2). As part of their preparation for the task, they were vast in astronomy, so they were able to recognise the awaited Star, which was different from what the coming together of Jupiter-Saturn represented. They beheld the Bethlehem Star which the blessed knowing ones saw as a greeting from God the Father and which had accompanied His Son to this earth.
As we learn from higher knowledge now on earth, they were chosen, linked with the Lord’s Mission to smoothen and lighten the path of the Son of God in the earthly way with their wealth and power as well as protect Him. But they did not have sufficient clarity about their sublime high tasks.
They followed the Star especially luminous up in the sky and directly overlooking the manger, all right but that was not all to their high tasks! They presented gifts then went to announce to perturb Herod the arrival of the Child King of the Jews. Seeing the arrival of the Baby King as a threat to his throne and power, Herod was enraged and he ordered the killing of “all the children in Bethlehem, and in all coasts thereof, from two years old and under.” (Matthew ). Joseph was warned in a dream to flee with his wife and their newly born baby to Egypt. But the wise Men, after presenting their gifts returned to their respective countries not realising their high task, thus leaving the new-born alone without protection. The ghastly action of Herod demonstrated how mandatory their protection of the Lord was. Indeed, their high tasks included even lurking in the shadows of the Lord throughout his Life to protect Him.
And so, all can read with a heavy and broken heart the account: “Thus out of the failure of the Called ones, and the attacks of the Darkness availing itself of its willing instruments, there was marked out, even at the beginning of His earth-life, the dreadful path of suffering of God’s Son and Envoy, that was later to end at Golgotha!”
But then it can be asked why did Christ come? What was His Mission on earth? First, He was the embodiment of Truth coming as He did from the Luminous Heights of Eternal Truth he longed to bring the words of Truth to mankind. He was also and is still Love Arm of the Almighty Father while the Holy Spirit is the Justice Arm, together with the Father in Holy Trinity. The Lord Jesus out of Love that he is, and seeing mankind sinking from ignorance of the Will of His father, came to draw through His Teachings, His Message, to draw mankind’s attention to their wrong way of living, and to show them the only way out of it which leads upwards to Paradise.
This world is a school where we are to develop and grow through recognising the Will of God which governs the entire Creation and acting accordingly. The Will is expressed in the Laws, the Laws of Creation also known as the Laws of Nature or the Divine Laws because they are the same all through the universes and 14 Spiritual Realms with the Paradise of human spirits the lowest, the 14th!
Mankind are to use Christ’s Teachings pointing to the Will as the tool to free us from wrong doing, cleanse us inwardly, that is, our spirits which are the real us, and as detergent to wash our dirty linen, which are the souls clean for, Paradise does not permit of as little as a speck of dust! Only living according to God’s Will can fetch the human spirits the key to the Golden Gate. Man can’t claim not to remember His great and decisive words that went thus: “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
His coming was also urgent to warn mankind that the material world is subject to disintegration and its cycle is already driving to a close. His Mission was, therefore, urgent. However, the political and priestly establishments of His time in Israel saw Him as a threat to their power and hold on the people, thus their influence because everywhere the Lord went, massive crowds milled around Him to hear His words of redemption from guilt of evil and wrong living—the words as the food of the spirit. In the end they conspired to get rid of Him.
